FOX Still Negotiating Deals With DirecTV, DISH & TWC For FOX Sports 1

There are only 32 days until the launch of FOX Sports 1, the new nationwide sports network that will battle for TV ratings and advertising dollars against ESPN. In the past several weeks, the number of TV spots FOX has been running to promote the network has been increasing at a feverish rate. However, FOX Sports is still trying to find its way on to the major TV providers in the United States.

As of press time, FOX Sports is still trying to negotiate to have FOX Sports 1 available to DirecTV, DISH Network and Time Warner customers. For those three TV providers, the number of subscribers nets 46 million, which means that if FOX is unable to negotiate deals between now and the launch date, the new network will fall well short of its 90 million subscribers goal by the time of the launch on August 17.

“The fact that so many deals are open a month before a network launch is not unusual in the cable industry,” said John Ourand of Sports Business Daily. “Typically, carriage deals like FS1’s get finalized in the days leading up to or just after a channel’s launch.

“One unanswered question is what will happen if a distributor fails to reach an agreement for FS1,” added Ourand. “Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and Dish Network have contracts that call for carriage of a Fox-produced motorsports channel. If Fox simply goes dark, it could be in violation of those deals, sources said (since SPEED is being converted into FOX Sports 1).”

For soccer fans who are already concerned about access to coverage of their favorite leagues on US television, FOX Sports 1 adds another headache. Many soccer fans in the United States and Canada still don’t have access to beIN SPORT, while Time Warner customers should be fretting that they haven’t reached a deal with NBC to carry NBC Sports Live Extra.

For FOX Sports 1, who will be carrying the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, FA Cup and many other tournaments, soccer fans should be concerned that the UEFA Champions League playoffs to quality for the Group Stage begin on August 20, just days after FOX Sports 1 launches. Teams that will be participating in the Play-Off Round include Arsenal, AC Milan, Schalke and Real Sociedad.

FOX still plans on showing soccer matches on FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go, but both of those platforms have limited access to viewers nationwide.

In the meantime, here’s the latest promo from FOX Sports to promote its FOX Sports 1 launch:

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

Time to adjust to footy life without being held by the balls by Fox… I don’t trust them with Eric Shanks at the helm… From Gus Johnson and their atrocious production of the UEFA Champions league and FA Cup final… It’s time to rely on alternative means. We will know exactly how Fox feels about footy fans the first time an NFL player gets arrested and he break in on a Champions League match to report on the arrest. Don’t expect much from these people.

I sure hope this is just paper talk. Players like Cazorla, Mata, Coutinho, Hazard etcetera are the playmakers that make the league so exciting. The league *needs* Steve Nash style dishes on the pitch. Arsenal need Santi. Please say it ain’t so…

What Fox really needs to do is put the majority of Champions League games on FREE over the air FOX! Problem solved. Soccer’s growth has been slowed thanks to hard to get channels like beIN Sport, Fox Soccer, Fox Soccer Plus, and to some NBC Sports Network. Soccer’s highest ratings are on free over the air tv and ESPN.

When local affiliates went “Digital” they were given the chance to air 3 or 4 sub channels off one channel. We have Fox on 27.1 here and 27.2 for CW. Can’t figure out why they don’t use 27.3 for extra programming. It would make sense especially for showing shows when sports r on.

It doesn’t help that Knob Stone took over the Fox Soccer presentation.
If he were so good ESPN would have kept him.
You may notice that the networks showing football(soccer)aree going with a British,or knowledgeable Spanish commentators and presenters.
The Champions League games on Fox are going to be BRUTAL without British insight or commentary

We can only hope that the Fox1 negotiations don’t go on and on after the channel is launched. So, get your acts together, and get it done. All provider customers are sick and tired of all the drama “you people” create, and you know that you will pass on the extra costs to your subscribers, so “crap or get off the pot” for God’s sake! I’m a DirecTV sub, and not a happy camper since they dropped Hotpass so get it together!!!!!!!!!